Sweet Potato Patties Recipe
Cooked rice adds texture to these sweet potato and cumin flavoured patties. We like to serve them with sweet chilli sauce and a salad. They could also be used to make veggie burgers.
Makes 8 patties.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
18g (1/3 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
50g (1/4 cup) rice
250g peeled and roughly chopped sweet potato (kumara)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup frozen mixed corn kernels and baby peas
30g (1/3 cup) grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large egg yolk (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil, for frying
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
To make the breadcrumbs, place some day-old bread in a food processor and process to make fine crumbs.
Cook rice in boiling water according to the directions on the package. Drain well. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Boil, steam or microwave sweet potato until tender.
In a large bowl, roughly mash the cooked sweet potato with a fork.
Add the breadcrumbs, rice, onion, pea and corn mix, parmesan, cumin, garlic, egg yolk, parsley, salt and pepper and stir until just combined.
Form mixture into eight patties.
Heat oil in a heavy based, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook patties for about four minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
Serve patties hot. Cooked patties can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in the oven or microwave before serving. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Christmas Truffles Recipe
Salmon Bites Recipe
These little salmon bites are a great hot finger food for a party. They have a creamy salmon filling and a crisp, buttery bread case. The salmon filling could also be used to fill vol-au-vent cases.
The cases can be made the day before serving and stored in an airtight container until required. The flavoured white sauce can also be made the day before serving. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator and stir in the salmon just before filling the cases.
Makes about 24 bite-sized hors d'oeuvres.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
Bread Cases
About 12 slices sandwich-slice white bread (use a fairly wide/tall loaf so that you are able to cut 2 rounds from each slice; otherwise you'll need about 24 slices of bread)
About 50g butter, melted
Salmon Filling
210g can salmon, drained
25g butter
1 1/2 tablespoons (18g) plain flour
188ml (3/4 cup) milk
3 green onions (green shallots), finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon (5ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley (firmly packed)
Extra parsley, for decoration
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
Cut rounds from bread using a 6cm diameter round cutter. (The bread offcuts could be used to make breadcrumbs.)
Flatten the bread rounds slightly by rolling over them with the side of a glass or a rolling pin. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Brush both sides of each bread round with melted butter.
Ease the rounds into the holes of a mini muffin pan (1 tablespoon capacity holes). Ensure that the bread is pressed against the base of the pan as this helps the case brown on the bottom.
Bake cases until crisp, about 12-15 minutes.
Remove skin and bones from the salmon and break it into small chunks.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles. Remove saucepan from heat.
Add about one third of the milk. Stir until mixture is well combined and as smooth a possible. Stir in remaining milk. Return saucepan to medium or medium-high heat and stir continuously until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat. If something has gone wrong and your white sauce is lumpy at this stage, you could pass it through a fine sieve.
Add green onions, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, lemon juice and parsley to white sauce.
Stir until well combined. Add the salmon and mix gently.
Fill the cooked bread cases with the salmon mixture (about one heaped teaspoon of mixture per case).
Bake at 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Celsius fan-forced) for about 7-10 minutes, or until hot. Top with parsley sprigs and serve immediately. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Lemon Coconut Slice Recipe
This quick and easy no-bake slice has a moist, coconutty base and a soft, sweet lemon icing. It is finished with a sprinkling of coconut. You'll need one or two lemons for this recipe.
Please note: We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes. If you are using a 15ml tablespoon, you will need to use 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in the base and 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in the icing.
Makes about 18 pieces (each about 4.5cm by 6cm).
80g butter
250g (3/4 cup) sweetened condensed milk
250g Nice biscuits (we use Arnott's brand)
85g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon (20ml) fresh lemon juice
Lemon Icing
250g (1 3/4 cups) icing sugar
2 tablespoons (40ml) fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons desiccated coconut, for sprinkling on top of slice
Grease an 18cm by 28cm slice pan or baking dish and line pan/dish with baking paper.
Place butter and condensed milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when butter has melted and mixture is smooth. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Finely crush biscuits using a blender or food processor. Stir crushed biscuits and coconut together in a large bowl until well combined.
Stir lemon juice into condensed milk mixture.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until well combined. The mixture will appear quite wet at this stage.
Press mixture into the prepared pan. The base of a flat-bottomed glass can be used to help press the mixture down firmly and smoothly. Refrigerate while preparing icing (see instructions below).
Spread lemon icing over slice and sprinkle with extra coconut.
Refrigerate slice until cold and firm then remove from the pan and cut into pieces. Store slice in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Lemon Icing
Combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until mixture is warm to the touch and completely smooth. Remove from heat and use immediately. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Chicken Casserole Recipe
This tasty chicken casserole consists of tender chicken pieces in a creamy bacon, mushroom and white wine sauce. We serve it with creamy mashed potato, steamed green vegetables, and crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Preparation time: about 40 minutes (excludes 1 1/2 hours simmering time)
Serves about 4.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
20ml (1 tablespoon) oil
1kg skinless chicken pieces (we use a combination of breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings)
100g bacon, chopped (we use shortcut bacon pieces and remove excess fat and rind)
1 medium (about 150g) onion, peeled and finely diced
1 medium (about 120g) carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
100g mushrooms, roughly chopped
18g (1 1/2 tablespoons) plain flour
10ml (2 teaspoons) tomato paste
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
312ml (1 1/4 cups) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
62ml (1/4 cup) cream (35 to 40 percent fat)
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley, to garnish
Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and brown pieces on all sides (this should take about 10 minutes). Don't overcrowd the pan when frying; if necessary, fry the chicken in two or more batches, adding more oil if required.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add bacon, onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until onion has softened (about 2 minutes).
Add garlic, mushrooms, flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Gradually stir in wine and chicken stock. Increase heat to high and continue stirring until the mixture simmers.
Return chicken to the pan and add the bay leaf. Cover pan (have the steam vent on the lid open) and reduce heat so that the mixture is simmering. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is tender and sauce has reduced. You may need to remove the lid for the last 15-20 minutes of the cooking time if the sauce has not reduced enough. Stir casserole occasionally during cooking.
Stir in cream, bring casserole back to the simmer, and then turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf and place chicken on serving plates. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with parsley.
Store any leftover casserole in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Mini Baked Cheesecakes Recipe
These rich, creamy individual cheesecakes are quick and easy to serve because there is no cutting involved. They could be served with fruit, ice cream, and/or whipped cream.
For the above photo, we drizzled the serving plate with raspberry sauce, then positioned the cheesecake and topped it with raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar.
Makes 10 individual cheesecakes.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
Base
150g Nice biscuits (we use Arnott's brand)
70g butter, melted (the amount you need may vary, depending on the type of biscuits you use)
Filling
250g cream cheese, softened
75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
20ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
100ml (5 tablespoons) thickened cream (about 35 percent fat)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
Line 10 holes of a muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity holes) with patty/muffin cases. We use paper-lined foil cases that measure 8cm across the top and 5cm across the base.
Finely crush biscuits in a food processor or blender. If you are using a food processor, you can add the melted butter to the biscuit crumbs and process until well combined. If you are using a blender, it is probably easier to tip the biscuit crumbs into a bowl and then stir in the butter. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Divide biscuit mixture evenly among cases (about one firmly packed tablespoon of biscuit mixture per case). Firmly press mixture down with the back of a teaspoon until smooth. Set bases aside while making the filling.
Beat cream cheese and caster sugar in an electric mixer or food processor. Stop the machine a couple of times to scrape down the sides and base of the bowl. When the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, add egg and beat until combined. Add lemon juice and cream and beat until well combined. Divide mixture evenly among cases.
Bake cheesecakes for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes.
Remove cheesecakes from pan, place in an airtight container and refrigerate. Cheesecakes are ready to serve when they are cold and set. Remove cases before serving.
Cheesecakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. They are suitable to freeze. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Ham and Cheese Slice Recipe
This quick and easy quiche has a crisp, flaky puff pastry base and a tasty ham and cheese filling. We like to serve it hot with a salad.
Preparation time: about 20 minutes
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
1 1/2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed (we use sheets that measure about 25cm by 25cm)
110g (1 cup, very firmly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
115g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) finely chopped shaved leg ham
3 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
90ml (4 1/2 tablespoons) thickened cream
1 tablespoon (24g) grated onion
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (without the fan). If possible, set your oven so that the top and bottom elements are on, and the fan is off. Adjust the oven rack to one of the lower positions: the pastry base will brown and crisp better if it is close to the bottom element. If you have a fan-forced oven and aren't able to turn the fan off, set your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease an 18cm by 28cm slice tin.
Place the whole pastry sheet at one end of the tin so that it slightly overhangs the sides of the tin. Place the half sheet of pastry at the other end of the tin, overlapping the first sheet of pastry by about 2.5cm. Ease pastry into tin. Firmly press the pastry together where it overlaps to prevent the filling from seeping underneath the pastry.
Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the pastry base. Top with ham.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Place eggs, cream, onion, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour egg mixture over ham and cheese.
Fold overhanging pastry over filling as shown in the photo below.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until quiche is lightly browned and filling is cooked. Cut into slices to serve. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Avocado Dip Recipe
This creamy avocado dip is very quick and easy to make. It should be prepared just before serving so that it doesn't discolour. We like to serve this dip with corn chips and vegetable crudités, or as an accompaniment to nachos.
1 large avocado
1 small-medium tomato
1/4 of a small onion
Salt, to taste
Discard avocado skin and seed. You will need 190g avocado flesh for this recipe. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Cut the tomato in half and use a grater to grate the tomato flesh. Discard the skin. You will need 75g of grated tomato.
Peel and grate the onion. You will need 25g grated onion.
Blend or process avocado, tomato, onion and salt until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Transfer dip to a bowl. Garnish with diced tomato and chopped shallots/spring onions, if desired. Serve immediately.
Suitable for vegans and vegetarians. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Mocha Cheesecake Slice Recipe
A rich, creamy coffee and chocolate flavoured cheesecake topped with sweetened whipped cream and grated chocolate. You could leave out the coffee powder to make a chocolate cheesecake slice.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
Base
200g Nice biscuits (we use Arnott's brand)
94g butter (the amount you need may vary, depending on the type of biscuits you use)
Filling
60ml (3 tablespoons) water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules/powder
100g dark chocolate
250g cream cheese, softened
112g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)
Topping
250ml (1 cup) thickened cream (35 percent fat)
1 1/2 tablespoons (26g) caster sugar
Grated or shaved chocolate, for decoration
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
You will need a 20cm square tin or baking dish for this recipe. Line tin or dish with baking paper, if desired.
Place the biscuits and unmelted butter in a food processor and process until the biscuits are finely crushed and the butter is incorporated.
If you use a different method to crush the biscuits (blender, rolling pin, etc.) place the biscuit crumbs in a bowl. Melt the butter and stir into the biscuit crumbs. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Firmly press the biscuit and butter mixture into the base of the dish/tin and set aside.
Place water, coffee, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a food processor or electric mixer. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides and base of the bowl a couple of times.
When the cream cheese mixture is smooth, add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Add the cooled chocolate mixture.
Beat until combined.
Pour cheesecake mixture over the base.
Bake for about 22-27 minutes. The slice will still be wobbly in the middle but will set as it cools. Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cheesecake is cold.
For topping, whip cream and sugar together until thick. Top cold cheesecake with cream and sprinkle with chocolate. Cut into bars to serve.
Store any remaining cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Suitable to freeze. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Strawberry, Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffin Recipe
This is a very quick and easy muffin recipe. It produces light, cake-like muffins with chunks of sweet, creamy white chocolate and tangy berries.
Fresh or frozen berries can be used. If using frozen berries, add them to the mixture while they are still frozen to help prevent them from colouring the batter.
Preparation time: about 30 minutes (excludes baking time)
Makes 12 muffins.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
2 teaspoons (10ml) lemon juice
250ml (1 cup) milk
125ml (1/2 cup) oil (we use a mild-flavoured oil, such as sunflower)
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
170g (1 cup) white chocolate chopped into small chunks
200g berries (we use 100g chopped strawberries and 100g raspberries)
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Celsius fan-forced). If you are using a conventional (not fan-forced) oven, place the oven rack in the centre of the oven. In a conventional oven, the position of the muffins in the oven affects how they brown. We like them to be close, but not too close, to the top element.
Line 12 holes of a muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity holes) with patty/muffin cases. We use paper-lined foil cases that measure 5cm across the base and 8cm across the top.
Whisk lemon juice, milk, oil and egg in a medium bowl until well combined.
Place self-raising flour, caster sugar and white chocolate in a large bowl. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Stir to combine.
Add berries.
Gently stir to combine.
Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stop stirring once the ingredients are combined (do not over mix). The batter should be quite wet.
Divide mixture evenly between muffin cases.
Bake for about 22-27 minutes. To check whether the muffins are cooked, press lightly on the centre of a muffin; if it springs back, it's ready. A knife inserted into the centre of a muffin should come out without any batter attached.
Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar if desired. They are at their best on the day they are baked.
Store muffins in an airtight container. Muffins can be reheated in the microwave. Suitable to freeze.© www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
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